New Hops - Problem Diagnosis (pics)

[Ryoken]

Hello all, new user here. I recently built a lattice wall and planted a dozen rhizomes of hops, hoping to fill it out with vines and provide for the local bees and brewers. Some of the plants appear to have stunted growth while the rest are either dying or withering. Here are a couple of notes and pictures:

• The soil where I live in Colorado is a dense clay. I tilled the earth to about a half a foot and mixed in some more appropriate soil, but couldn't dig any deeper due to the sprinkler line.
• I have a drip line watering the hops for 5 minutes a day and the sprinklers catch them for a little bit for another 10 minutes.
• We've had a larger amount of grasshoppers than usual this year and I suspect they've been eating shoots and forcing branches, but this is just a hunch.
• I got the rhizomes from Nugget Hops Vine | Gurney's Seed & Nursery Co. and planted them around March of this year.

I would definitely appreciate any feedback or info as to what I am doing wrong or could be doing better. Thanks for your time!

- Ryo

 

[Sylvain]

Burning of the sun?

 

[vtec4me21]

When you amended the soil did you adjust for pH? Clay soil might not allow proper drainage and hops don't like to be sitting in water AFAIK. Unfortunate about the sprinkler line being shallow, if possible might till the soil deeper - say 12-18 inches and amend the soil to help with drainage. Otherwise with plenty of sun and daily drip line irrigation of about 1 gallon an hr. (during summer) they are plants that seem to be low maintenance once established. With clay soil that amount / time of drip irrigation might need to be adjusted. You might also not be watering the hop plants enough.

"Prior to planting, you’ll need to prepare your soil. Hops thrive in a loamy, well-draining soil with a pH between 6.0 and 7.5. The pH level directly affects the nutrients that are available to a plant. If the pH isn’t right, it can lock up the soil and inhibit growth. You can add sand to the soil to improve drainage and try deep irrigation to reduce saltiness. Try to aim for a slightly acidic soil (6.7-6.9 pH) ."

Here is what worked for me and my hop yard.
USDA plant hardiness zone: 7a with silt loam soil. I live where pasture land was at. I was able to work on my hop yard in the fall and amended the soil with some peat moss to adjust for pH to be slightly acidic. I also tilled the soil 18" deep and removed large rocks (above fist size) so the tap root of each plant would take. I also added compost at that time to help the soil amend and be ready for the spring planting of the hop rhizomes. When planting, I created a small mound of the amended soil a couple inches above the soil line and planted the rhizomes about four inches deep. Trimmed the bull shoots each year on May 1st and added compost. At about the July mark I add a N-P-K: 12-5-7 fertilizer such as: Vigoro 5 lb. All Season All Purpose Plant Food

These plants are now three years old and produce more than enough hops (at least 2lb. dried per plant). They also grow vigorously. They get plenty of sun, mid-morning to sunset.

Soil Survey: Soil Surveys by State | NRCS Soils
https://www.homebrewersassociation.org/how-to-brew/how-to-grow-hops/https://homeguides.sfgate.com/propagate-hops-21752.htmlhttps://homeguides.sfgate.com/fertilizer-growing-hops-28569.html